the lady, “What saith he now?” and the page replied, “He saith that under yonder tree are fruits, fresh and dried.”  So they went thither and found all as he said and sat down and ate.  Then they walked about again till the crow croaked a fourth time, whereupon the page took up a stone and threw it at him.  Quoth she, “What said he, that thou shouldst stone him?” “O my lady,” answered he, “he said what I cannot tell thee.”  “Say on,” rejoined she, “and be not abashed in my presence, for there is naught between me and thee.”  But he ceased not to say, “No,” and she to press him to speak, till at last she conjured him to tell her, and he answered, “The crow said to me, ’Do with thy lady even as doth her husband.’” When she heard his words she laughed till she fell backward and said, “This is a light matter, and I may not gainsay thee therein.”  So saying, she went up to a tree and, spreading the carpet under it, lay down, and called to him to come and do her need, when, lo! her husband, who had followed them unawares and saw this, called out to the page, saying, “Harkye, boy!  What ails thy mistress to lie there, weeping?” Answered the page, “O my lord, she fell off the tree and was killed;[FN#209] and none but Allah (be He extolled and exalted!) restored her to thee.  Wherefore she lay down awhile to recover herself by rest.”  When the lady saw her husband standing by her head, she rose and made a show of weakness and pain, saying, “O my back!  O my sides!  Come to my help, O my friends!  I shall never survive this.”  So her husband was deceived and said to the page, “Fetch thy mistress’s horse and set her thereon.”  Then he carried her home, the boy holding one stirrup and the man the other and saying, “Allah vouchsafe thee ease and recovery!” “These then, O King,” (said the damsel) “are some instances of the craft of men and their perfidy; wherefore let not thy Wazirs turn thee from succouring me and doing me justice.”  Then she wept, and when the King saw her weeping (for she was the dearest to him of all his slave-girls) he once more commanded to put his son to death; but the sixth Minister entered and kissing ground before him, said, “May the Almighty advance the King!  Verily I am a loyal counsellor to thee, in that I counsel thee to deal deliberately in the matter of thy son;”—­And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

      When it was the Five Hundred and Ninety-third Night,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the sixth Wazir said, “O King, deal deliberately in the matter of thy son; for falsehood is as smoke and fact is built on base which shall not be broken; yea, and the light of sooth dispelleth the night of untruth.  Know that the perfidy of women is great, even as saith Allah the Most High in His Holy Book, “Verily, the malice of you is great.[FN#210] And indeed a tale hath reached me that a certain woman befooled the Chiefs of the State on such wise as never did any before her.”  Asked the King, “And how was that?” And the Wazir answered, “I have heard tell a tale, O King, as follows concerning